Event Review: Cooking with Epicure

This November, UBC Food Society had the opportunity to participate in some delicious demonstrations by Hailey Swift, a personal trainer, nutritionist, and consultant with Epicure. Epicure is a Canadian company that sells spices and food preparation products for a fast, easy, but tasty eating experience.

Jars of spices dominated Hailey’s catalogue. She invited members to take part in the mixing of several super simple dips. Most dips consisted of common household items (ie. sour cream, mayonnaise) and Epicure spices. Any cooking we did required only an Epicure silicone steamer and a microwave. Here are some examples:

Artichoke Dip

This delicious favourite was a simple combination of canned artichoke, mayo, and Epicure’s artichoke seasoning microwaved with some shredded mozzarella. A hearty, creamy dip.

Hot Louisiana Dip

Instead of pricey Greek yogurt, Hailey substituted in sour cream for this dip – friendlier for the student budget. This dip was less tasty than the artichoke one, but a fulfilling complement to boring veggies and crackers nonetheless. Sour cream, mayo, and hot louisiana dip mix; no nuking required.

Bruschetta Spread

Probably my favourite. We diced some tomatoes, drizzled in olive oil, and added a bruschetta herbs mix. Tasted fresh. Also works very well with pasta and, of course, smothered on bread.

3 Onion Dip Mix

A 50/50 mix of sour cream and mayo, with this dip mix evenly mixed in. Hailey recommends this one for grilled cheese sandwiches.

Pasta Salad

We made a simple pasta salad dressing with balsamic vinaigrette seasoning, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Hailey recommended blending the mixture in a home blender to prevent the resulting dressing form emulsifying.

And chicken to finish…

We had some diced chicken breast with garlic seasoning that was done with six to seven minutes of heating. In my opinion, this one was probably the blandest and didn’t work as well as the other combinations.

To complement our delightful tasting party, we were treated to some Epicure Christmas tea and Christmas cider(which was created by pouring heated apple juice and rich, sweet spices into a teapot. Both these drinks had a strong sense of cinnamon-y holiday cheer and were a club favourite – we constantly had to brew more.

The Epicure method may not be described as “real cooking” by some, but it’s an easy and quick alternative in our fast-paced lives. How else can you make a tasty entree in under 10 minutes at the office?